When I first started painting, I didn't have a clue on where to lay out my colors on the palette or distinguish between a cool and warm version of the same color. I ended up with multiple blue paint tubes that would eventually turn out to be all warm blues once I learned the difference. That's where a color chart comes in handy!

It's been some time since my last post and I have not had enough time to devote to new paintings so I started some quick sketches these days. You can view most of them at my watercolor journal.

I usually paint fruits or flowers as the subject of my paintings but these days I've decided to change my subjects and turn away from still life. I desperately wanted to paint something colorful and that's when I stumbled upon some images of lovebirds. Lovebirds are gorgeous and they have a color scheme similar to mangoes with hues of yellow, orange and green.

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a Lifetime"

A series of unfortunate circumstances have occurred in my life toward the end of December (which is why you've probably seen a decline in blog posts.) I apologize for the lack of art updates but please follow me on Facebook or Instagram for brief photo updates. The string of events that occurred in December allowed me to realize that not many know how to "fish for himself/herself"

With my newfound journals lately, I find myself eager to sketch and brimming with colorful ideas. Usually, I paint apples or flowers but I have been leaning toward painting animals or landscapes these days.

The past few posts have been about keeping an art journal so I want to expand on that and share with you a new brand of art journals that I came across. Stillman & Birn are the only journals that focus on paper quality and an artist's needs. Usually people praise Moleskine journals since they're heavily toted around in the art world. Moleskines are great (and I have been using one since 2013) but I dislike how the paper buckled in my watercolor folio album.

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a Lifetime"

A series of unfortunate circumstances have occurred in my life toward the end of December (which is why you've probably seen a decline in blog posts.) I apologize for the lack of art updates but please follow me on Facebook or Instagram for brief photo updates. The string of events that occurred in December allowed me to realize that not many know how to "fish for himself/herself"

Are you lazy or in denial and stuck in an art block? This is actually very ironic because I'm stuck in one myself at the moment. Art blocks happen and sometimes it can be due to lack of motivation or inspiration (maybe even both?)

Sometimes you need a bit of organization to feel productive or creative. My desk at work is a complete mess with papers tossed about and notes everywhere. I couldn't even find my phone or notebooks because of the mess I lived in. I set out to Staples to do something about it and came across these lovely bright and fun desk products by Poppin.

If you've seen my artwork then chances are - you've probably seen an apple or two..or three. I love painting apples! There's a very good reason for that too. Apples are my favorite type of fruit and they are (in my opinion) the most colorful type of fruit as well. They are also extremely easy to draw - it's a circle! However, there's also a sentimental value associated with apples for me.

Recently, I've been feeling very drained and burned out which led to more experimentation with a "loose" painting style since I was too lazy to really plan a proper composition or detailed realistic painting. Abstract art (in my own POV) is basically art that conveys a strong mood or atmosphere rather than conveying the actual subject. Subjects are always gestured in abstract paintings and never fully completed or painted in detail.

When I'm down and bummed out - I usually buy flowers or succulents. For the past few days, I went out to CA and just recently flew back to NY. Quite tiring...never imagined that work related trips would be so exhausting!

I came home to a very lovely surprise which sweetened my week - a bouquet of Lilies from my bf!

At the time of blogging this, it's midnight here in NYC and I'm actually a bit bummed out this week...

Maybe it's because I'm cutting out coffee from my diet this week haha it's pretty rough and I feel horrible. I also miss my dear calico cat who I had to give up last year because my bf had terrible allergies that made his life miserable

I haven't been painting lately because I've been too busy collecting succulents around NYC to build my dream terrarium. Plants make me happy and are obviously evident in my artwork so I figured..what better way to brighten up my home :)

While browsing online, I came across some "Terrarium Kits" but most of them were overpriced. Google is amazing and I realized that these are extremely affordable and easy to make at home vs. paying over $100 for the materials and then still having to build it yourself once it arrives.

This walkthrough today isn't really art related or a painting step-by-step but more of a DIY guide to build your own lovely terrarium!